Sunday, February 12, 2012

By BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat.com
If US military presence overseas is about ensuring peace and
stability, why did it invade Afghanistan and Iraq, and why is it now
provoking Iran? If the US is really serious about pushing for human
rights and democracy, why is it constricting civil liberties through the
Patriot Act and why is it cracking down on Occupy Wall street activists?

This is because promoting peace, stability, human rights and
democracy are not the main reasons for US military presence abroad. It
is to give muscle to the push for US economic interests.

This is summed up in an article written by US State Secretary Hillary
Clinton with the title “American Pacific Century” in November 2011. She
called those demanding for a downsizing of American engagement abroad
(read: US military presence) as “misguided.” “From opening new markets
for American businesses to curbing nuclear proliferation to keeping the
sea lanes free for commerce and navigation, our work abroad holds the
key to our prosperity and security at home.”

During the Bush Jr. administration, the US invaded Afghanistan in
2001 to secure oil and gas pipelines while it invaded Iraq in 2003 to
corner the second largest oil reserves in the world. Also, the US
intended to stimulate its economy through the production of war
materials and reconstruction projects following the occupation. But
these did not work and the US government came under pressure from the
American public to pull out its troops in both countries.

Initially, the succeeding Obama administration tried to deflect these
calls for US troop withdrawal by gradually reducing deployments in Iraq
while increasing it in Afghanistan. But the costs of maintaining
troops abroad and the pressure being exerted by the economic crisis,
worsening unemployment, and the US debt burden forced the Obama
administration to reduce government expenditures, including the
Department of Defense. The Obama administration’s commitment to reduce
expenditures was followed by its announcement that it would refocus its
military presence from Iraq and Afghanistan to Asia and the Pacific..... MORE

02/12/2012
This year could be one of the lowest in
our history. There is a surfacing depression due to so much stress to
the beleaguered Filipino people. We are known in the world as a pliant
people and our resilience is exceptional. But until when can we keep on
bending? We will definitely snap when depression and extreme stress
break our already brittle spinals.

Depression in geology’s common
parlance is a landform that is sunken due to several geological factors
and mechanisms. Anything that is “pushed” below is a “depression.”

The
impeachment proceedings are one source of national depression as it is
becoming a national embarrassment rather than a process that positively
asserts our global democratic face. The leadership of the lower house
has already warned congressmen of their absences and disinterest in
other parts of their job description as they sit uselessly in the Senate
gallery gloating over their prosecutors..... MORE

A week after vetoes from Russia and China put an end to a UN
resolution on Syria its supporters are coming back with another draft.

­Saudi Arabia, backed by the West and the majority of Arab countries,
is hoping the document will be presented before the UN General
Assembly, Reuters reports. Unlike the UN Security Council, no country
has the power of veto in the assembly, but its resolutions have no legal
force.

Little in the text appears to have changed since the
previous presentation. The resolution lays the blame for the Syrian
violence, which has taken thousands of lives, at the door of President
Bashar al-Assad. It also calls for him to step down before a
transitional period to a democracy..... MORE

US singer and actress Whitney Houston has passed away at the age of
48 in Los Angeles. Her publicist Kristen Foster informed the Associated
Press of her demise. The cause of her death is as yet unclear.

“Unfortunately, it is true,” a spokeswoman for Houston’s family confirmed to Reuters.

The singer was found in a hotel room in Beverly Hills, police spokesman Mark Rosen told reporters. “At 3:55 pm Whitney Houston was pronounced dead at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.”.... MORE

Thick ice and heavy snow have locked the entire European continent,
already claiming the lives of nearly 500 people. And while Europeans are
struggling to warm themselves, frigid temperatures are showing no signs
of rising in coming weeks.

­Weather forecasts predict the cold snap, which started in late January, to continue until mid-February.

In
some parts of Europe thermometers show temperatures lower than -39
Celsius. In the Czech Republic weather forecasters warned that
night-time temperatures could reach as low as -40 Celsius in the
mountains..... MORE

“This so-called joint venture smacks of land-grabbing and conflict of
interest on the part of President Aquino’s political lieutenant in the
Gulf.” – Danilo Ramos, Kilusang Magbubukid ng PilipinasBy INA ALLECO R. SILVERIOBulatlat.com
The farmers group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) is calling
for official congressional inquiries into the a supposed $300-million
land lease deal the Benigno Aquino III government entered with Bahrain.
Last week, business reports had it that Bahrain’s Nadir and Ibrahim Sons
of Hassan Group signed a $50 million agriculture investment deal with
AMA Group Holdings of the Philippines.

KMP secretary general Danilo Ramos said the deal was actually part
of a larger project worth $300 million. The project, he said, was
originally launched two years ago and aims to ensure Bahrain’s food
security and promote the agribusiness sector.”

Special Envoy to the Gulf Cooperation Council Amable R. Aguiluz V with
Bahrain Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa. In a
statement, the Bahrain official hailed the growing bilateral relations,
expressing his country’s “ keenness to further enhance joint cooperation
with friendly countries’ officials in strengthening bilateral ties. “ (November 2010 Photo From the office of the SEGC / bulatlat.com)

Ramos said that it was “revolting” how Philippine lands are being
devoted for the food security needs of other nations while Filipino
farmers suffer worsening landlessness, hunger, and poverty. He
criticized Dr. Amable R. Aguiluz V who serves as the Aquino government’s
Special Envoy to the Gulf Cooperation Council. Aguiluz’’ family owns
the AMA Group Holdings that established a joint venture called “RP
Harvest” with Bahrain’s Hassan Group, to cultivate bananas, rice and
other crops on a 10,000-hectare land in the province of Davao Del Norte
in Mindanao.

“This so-called joint venture smacks of land-grabbing and conflict of
interest on the part of President Aquino’s political lieutenant in the
Gulf,” Ramos said. “Ambassador Aguiluz, the Department of Agriculture,
and the Department of Agrarian Reform have a lot of explaining to do on
this massive sell-out of our lands. A no-holds-barred probe on Aguiluz
is in order.”.... MORE

As the nation
awaits the decision of the Senate in its caucus tomorrow, on whether or
not to compel Philippine Savings Bank (PSBank) president Pascual Garcia
to produce records of the alleged foreign currency deposits of
impeached Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice Renato Corona, the head of a
Catholic bishops’ group called on contending parties in the impeachment
trial to respect the law and follow the SC temporary restraining order
(TRO) on Corona’s dollar bank accounts.

Catholic Bishops’
Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president Cebu Archbishop Jose
Palma issued the call for the Senate, Malacañang and the House
prosecution panel to comply with the SC decision restraining the
issuance of a subpoena on the dollar accounts of Corona.

The SC en
banc, voting 8 to 5, favored a petition of the Philippine Savings Bank
(PSBank) that baring details of Corona’s accounts will violate Republic
Act 6426 or the Foreign Currency Deposits Act..... MORE

02/12/2012
A Manila councilor has filed a
resolution asking the city government to take action against
unscrupulous retailers of cosmetics laced with mercury, an extremely
toxic chemical, to protect public health.

District II Councilor
Numero “Uno” Lim made the move in response to the continued
proliferation of mercury-contaminated skin whitening creams as uncovered
by the EcoWaste Coalition, a toxics watchdog.

The resolution
called on the city government to undertake immediate enforcement
operations, in collaboration with the EcoWaste Coalition and the Food
and Drug Administration (FDA), to rid the local market of
mercury-tainted cosmetics..... MORE

Malacanang has
formally announced the appointment of a new Solicitor General Francis
Jardeleza replacing Jose Anselmo Cadiz, whom President Aquino claimed to
have resigned and go back to private practice.

Jardeleza, who has
been calling the shots at the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG)
even before the Palace announcement, has reportedly been in quandary and
now faces the burden of having to choose between two bosses, the
appointing authority or the real boss as referred to by his appointing
authority.

Even before he can formally assume post today,
appointing authority President Aquino has given Jardeleza a marching
order to seek a reversal of the Court of Appeals (CA) ruling directing
the government to infuse a whopping P 25 billion to the shuttered bank..... MORE

02/12/2012
Vice President Jejomar Binay on Thursday
urged real estate developers to help in building sustainable
communities for survivors of the major earthquake in Negros Oriental and
of tropicala storm “Sendong” in the cities of Cagayan de Oro and
Iligan.

“I ask you to contribute whatever resources you have to
help our affected fellow citizens. The magnitude of the housing need is
huge, but natural calamities can only challenge us to double our
efforts,” Binay said in a speech during the Real Estate Developers
Recognition and Appreciation Night.

“In CdO and Iligan, we need to
build about 14,000 houses. There are designated areas which will serve
as relocation sites for the affected families and we urge you to help us
develop these areas into sustainable communities,” he added..... MORE

The Quezon
City Police District (QCPD) Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit
(CIDU) has started to dig deeper into the killing of long-time boyfriend
of former QC Rep. Nanette Castelo Daza inside her residence in Quezon
City before midnight last Friday.

The victim, who sustained five
gunshot wounds and died on the spot was identified as Noel Orate Sr.,
55, a district manager of United Laboratories. He was shot dead inside
Daza’s home on Maninging Street, Barangay Teacher’s Village East, Quezon
City.

The suspect, Daza’s son-in law, was identified as Romeo
Allan Robes, provincial board member of Bulacan. He is the husband of
Daza’s daughter, QC Councilor Jessica Castelo Daza..... MORE